Dragons’ Den: Where to buy Mood Bears, Hello Klean shower filters, Solar Buddies and more
We also saw a marketplace for Scotch whiskies in tonight’s finale episode
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.That’s a wrap. The 20th season of Dragons’ Den has come to an end, and what a series it’s been. We’ve laughed, we’ve cringed, we’ve cried.
Over the last 14 weeks, we’ve seen everything from trendy pill cases, a pop-up chess game and plant-based meal boxes to a matcha tea energy drink brand, a coffee club subscription service and, yes, even wizard golf.
Tonight’s show was a pretty light-hearted affair. Everyone was in a (fairly) good mood, and three out of the four entrepreneurs walked out of the den with a dragon (or five) in tow.
There was Solar Buddies, a sponge sunscreen applicator for kids. There was Hello Klean, a company with the solution to the UK’s hard-water problem, and there was Jo Proud and her Mood Bears, successfully securing all five dragons in one big deal.
While Steven and Jacqueline Pine’s whisky business failed to secure any investment, they did put a big smile on Touker Suleyman’s face. Here’s where you can buy all the products seen in tonight’s episode of Dragons’ Den.
Mood Bears: £22.99, Moodbears.com
Although Jo Proud’s business was straightforward, it was one of the most heartwarming pitches of the entire series. Teddy bears that represent different moods and emotions captured the hearts of the fire-breathing dragons so much that when Peter Jones suggested the five join forces to become a mega dragon and invest in Proud’s Mood Bears, they all heartily agreed.
Mood Bears is an enterprise underpinned by empathy. The company produces eight teddy bears that represent an emotion, with the aim of helping people cope with and articulate how they’re feeling. Each fluffy and colourful bear additionally comes with its own poem. The company says the bears are there to listen, without judgement, or just there to cuddle. There’s Happy Bear, Sad Bear, Angry Bear, Calm Bear, Nervous Bear, Hope Bear, Love Bear and Silly Bear.
Each standard-size Mood Bear costs £22.99, but you can also buy mini bears for £12.99 from the Mood Bears website. You can also buy a pair of Happy and Sad Mood Bears or a pair of Angry and Calm Mood Bears for £23.99 at Very. The Mood Bears are also on sale at Freemans, each with a 20 per cent discount right now.
Read more: Best Jellycat stuffed toy animals
Hello Klean shower filter: £65, Helloklean.com
Husband and wife team Karlee and Omer Ozener were awash with praise in their mission to eradicate hard water when they pitched their lifestyle brand Hello Klean in the den. A one-stop shop supplying products to tackle the problem (shower) head-on, it was Steven Bartlett who won the battle of the dragons, securing his full investment.
For those who don’t know, hard water is water with a high mineral content and a high concentration of calcium and magnesium. There have been studies linking hard water to dry hair and increased eczema symptoms. Hello Klean makes a screw-on filter that softens the water. It features a stainless mesh to capture sand and other sediments; calcium sulphite removes chlorine; KDF 55 targets minerals and residual chlorine; granular activated carbon to remove bacteria, mould and odours; and ceramic beads help to balance the shower water's pH level.
As well as a shower filter (£65, Helloklean.com), the company also sells a nourishing micronutrient body wash cleanser (£18, Helloklean.com), as well as a clarifying scalp soak (from £10, Helloklean.com). Living Proof’s Michael Shaun Corby actually gave Hello Klean’s clarifying scalp soap his seal of approval in an interview with The Independent in 2021. All three products can be bought directly from Hello Klean or from Cult Beauty.
Read more: Our pick of the best shower heads
Solar Buddies sunscreen applicator: £11.98, Amazon.co.uk
Business partners and best friends Laura Waters and Kelli Aspland walked into the den with a solution that parents up and down the country could be looking for – a sunscreen applicator that will help kids lather it on themselves. It was another ferocious battle between Deborah Meaden, Sara Davies and Peter Jones, who all adored the product, but once again this series, Davies was locked out in favour of the Jones and Meaden combo.
Launched in 2015, Solar Buddies makes a refillable sponge applicator that people can fill up with a sunscreen of their choice, clean out when done and reuse again. The sponge ring helps kids rub the lotion into their body, leaving no residue behind because they’ve been overzealous when squirting the sunscreen onto their hands.
Each Solar Buddy holds 100ml, making it ideal for hand luggage, and the head can be replaced and recycled when finished. It comes in pink, green and blue colourways and costs £11.98 from Amazon, or slightly less when bought directly (with shipping). You can also buy it in packs of two, three or four.
Read more: Our pick of the best sunscreen for kids in 2023
Scotch Galore Whiskies: Scotchgalore.com
It all started friendly and cordial and, dare we say, jokey, until Deborah Meaden said they needed to get down to business with Stephen and Jacqueline Pyne’s one-stop whisky shop Scotch Galore Whiskies. Despite tempting them with booze, the dragons felt it wasn’t a business for an investor, but it would surely make the Pynes some good money.
Launched in 2019, Scotch Galore Whiskies is essentially a marketplace for the selling, collecting and investing of whisky in the UK. You can find a whole range of different whiskies on the website, sold by sellers and collectors. For those looking to sell their whisky, there’s just a flat-rate 12 per cent commission on each purchase.
It has a pretty old-school way of doing things, too. To sell your whisky on the website, Scotch Galore either picks the bottle up from your house, gets a courier to pick it up or you can bring it to the company yourself. Scotch Galore Whiskies then photographs your whisky, putting it online the same day the company receives it. If you’re buying, there’s no need to register, you just browse the site, pick a whisky and hit the buy button.
Visit Scotch Galore Whiskies’ website now
Read more: Our pick of the best Scottish single malt whiskies
Voucher codes
For the latest discounts on tech, home appliances and more, try the links below:
Looking for some environmentally friendly brands? Check out the best B Corp-certified brands doing good for the planet